Google Play

You wanted it, and Google is giving it to you: the Nexus 6 is available for pre-order. The flagship Android device, straight from Google, is now available direct from the Play Store. At $649 for the base 32GB version, it’s not going to be the easiest pill to swallow when the credit card statement comes — and gets harder if you upgrade to the 64GB variant, which is $699. Still, if you’re anxious to get your hands on some Android Lollipop, you can!

With Apple’s HealthKit, we were promised a core app in Health that would give us insight on our overall wellbeing, based on apps that worked with the platform. though HealthKit had a rough start, it’s here, and when used properly, not all that bad a take on your health and fitness stats. Google previously announced their own health platform in Google Fit, which aims to do the exact same thing HealthKit does — just for Android. Google has now published their app to the Play Store, and it’s compatible with just about every Android phone around.

Google might not be pleased when they realize the implications of Amazon's newest app update. Instead of Amazon relying on you to head to their webpage to download the Amazon App Store app, you've only to download the Amazon App from Google Play. The big deal here is not that Google forbids apps outside their own store - they certainly do not. The big deal here is App Updates. Google forbids that apps that come from the Google Play app store be updated through any other means than the Google Play app store itself.

Google’s answer to Roku, Amazon fire TV, and Apple TV — the Nexus Player — is in stock and ready for purchase via Google Play. The player, which is the first to offer Android TV on a broad scale, is Google’s latest play for your living room space. Offering up a central hub for your media consumption and streaming, Nexus Player is also a great device for more casual gaming. Voice command via the remote could also have you pushing less buttons.

Nexus Player, Google's first and just announced set-top box, went up on the U.S. Play Store for pre-order just yesterday, but has already been taken down. The reason? Apparently the device has yet to be certified by the Federal Communications Commission (FCC), and as a result is not permitted to be sold in the U.S. just yet.

The Nexus 6 smartphone and Nexus 9 tablet are official, and available for scrutiny via the Play Store. The two newest flagship devices from Google are also big; bigger than the devices they replace. Are they too big, though? Is the price Google is asking too much? Both new Nexus represent a new direction for the platform, but has Google turned some fans off? A lot of criticism has been levied against them for these two big, more-expensive-than-your-usual-Nexus devices — but is it fair?

Ready for the Nexus 9? Google’s answer to the iPad mini is now available for pre-order! Branded as one “for mover’s and makers”, the Nexus 9 has arrived on the Play Store, with all options listed. The full compliment of official accessories — the keyboard folio and various “origami” stands — are also listed, but are noted as “coming soon”. If you’re not interested in add-ons, you might be able to find the Nexus 9 you want, but some options are missing.

While we did, honestly, expect the Samsung Galaxy S5 Google Play Edition to be launched several months ago at this point, it would seem that they’re finally ready to roll. With the launch of Android 5.0 Lollipop and the official preview we saw courtesy of Samsung itself earlier this month, there can’t be much time between now and the GPE. What with Google’s update of their Android homepage still including the elusive Google Play Edition of the Galaxy S5 alongside the new Nexus family, we have only to ask - what’s the holdup?

Overnight the newest Material Design-friendly Google Play has come across the early release boards ready for installation. This app will be ready for download by most users on the newest versions of Android immediately if not soon. It’ll be coming with an extra-flat design consistent with the rest of Android L, the system you’ll be getting on the newest smartphones over the next year. Or on forward-thinking smartphones you’ve purchased over the past year that've promised an Android L update as you please, thank you.

Android users: Would you be more likely to pay for an app if you got to try it out first? According to a new report, Google is banking that you will. A program, designed to let you try an app out before downloading a paid version, is reportedly being imagined within the walls at Google. The goal is to boost Play Store revenues, making the platform more enticing to Developers. Also, the report says in testing the apps ahead of downloading, we may save on data consumption on our carrier plans.